Dana White was astonished by the support that unbeaten fighter Nurullo Aliev received from fans in his home country for his UFC debut.
The debutant’s bout at UFC Fight Night 220 was broadcast live at a stadium in Tajikistan. Footage uploaded to Twitter by the UFC president showed a stand full of fans chanting in support of Aliev.
White was left amazed by the showering support for the UFC lightweight and wrote:
“This is how many people showed up in a stadium in Tajikistan to watch UNDEFEATED @NurruloAliev first fight in the @ufc. How BADASS is this?!?!”
Watch the video below:
Aliev faced Rafael Alves last night and won the bout via majority decision. Drama ensued in the first round after referee Mark Smith deducted a point from the ‘Tajik Eagle’ for allegedly biting Alves. However, Aliev protested that he had, in fact, been fish hooked by Alves. Fish hooking is an illegal technique where a fighter puts their fingers in an opponent’s mouth and pulls them away from their body.
Following the points deduction, Aliev proceeded to dominate his opponent with wrestling and ground-and-pound to secure the next two rounds.
Dana White clarifies whether Alexander Volkanovski will fight Islam Makhachev next
UFC President Dana White appeared in front of the media following UFC Fight Night 220 last night.
White discussed whether or not Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev would have an immediate rematch following their epic clash at UFC 284. The card saw Yair Rodriguez defeat Josh Emmett to win the interim featherweight title, meaning that Volkanovski has a legitimate challenger to face at 145 lbs.
Some, such as Daniel Cormier, believe that an immediate rematch would hold up two divisions. Cormier suggested that Makhachev should fight the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush while ‘The Great’ should face Rodriguez next.
However, during UFC Fight Night 220’s press conference, Dana White clarified the promotion’s plan by saying:
“I mean listen, we didn’t make any fights yet. There are a lot of different things that play out in making these fights, timing, injuries, personal stuff… But to me, the fight that makes sense is: you make Yair vs. Volkanovski, Islam versus somebody, whenever that happens, and the you do the rematch.”
Watch the video below:
There was an immense amount of controversy following the conclusion of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Islam Makhachev. Many fans felt that ‘The Great’ had done enough to win the fight, and calls of a robbery were being made. Dana White believes that the super fight surpassed expectations, and a rematch is a definite possibility.
Both fighters agreed to a rematch backstage in recently released footage of the event posted to Volkanovski’s YouTube channel.
Watch the video below:
